Fantastic old stories and anecdotes from trees and our forests!

THE VISIT

“ADOLFO LÓPEZ MATEOS” MIDDLE SCHOOL

“SAN JERÓNIMO PILITAS” COMMUNITY

“SAN JOSÉ DEL RINCÓN” MUNICIPALITY (COUNTY)

STATE OF MÉXICO

“SIERRA CHINCUA” SANCTUARY

COORDINATES: 19.6989630 -100.2516587

When delivering our lesson on conservation to middle schools, the impact is great. Besides academic knowledge, these students are acquiring appreciation and pride for their own homeland, their beliefs, and their traditions.

“We grow up listening to so many fantastic stories and anecdotes happening right here in our forests told by our parents and grandparents and passed along from generation to generation in our families…”

Then, when looking at the map on “The Vegetation of México,” after attending Estela’s class on the importance of trees in the forest and the many benefits of the forests itself, students added:

“Oh, we just could have never imagined how special and unfortunately, how small our Oyamel forests in our country and in the world are!”

“We cannot believe we are the communities having the largest Oyamel forests spots! Wow! How immensely proud we can be! Our families should know this!”

…students expressed, having received the lesson on the many benefits that trees and forests provide to their own community.

TEACHERS WORKING AT REMOTE RURAL SCHOOLS IN MÉXICO EXPRESS…

“It is still a big challenge to be a teacher at such a remote and small community as this one. In my case, I stay over the week here and go back home for the weekend. There is no way to reach the location without having one’s own car. On the other side, it is great to experience how the families of our students express their gratitude for accepting us to work here. Each family takes turns providing the meals to us teachers who live in the community and only lunch for those driving back and forth every day. Local families, as well, host teachers staying during the week.”

It is still very common to see cases of teachers working in these conditions in remote rural schools in México. The community families manage to make such working experiences, a memorable time in a teacher’s life. Teachers are considered a highly well-respected occupation, near that to a local priest’s position in the community.